Breaking News

Interview with an expert: Lee Saxby

For many years now, the
fitness industry has embraced the importance of research, which in turn has
driven technological advancements in exercise equipment design.

While the need for equipment driven training methods will always be popular, it is nevertheless refreshing to see that bodyweight training is fast becoming an integral part of many
exercise programmes.

However,
among the multitude of bodyweight approaches that are widespread in the
industry,

running
technique is often missing or understated. Is this an oversight on our part, or
do

Do we assume that running is not a useful skill to master?

From
a developmental perspective, learning to run has a number of pre-requisites:

we
learn to crawl, squat, stand, walk and jump, before we learn to run. However,
as functioning adults it’s easy to assume that we have mastered these

KP: Many of our readers will
be aware of approaches to ‘natural’ running, including

POSE
and Chi running. How does your coaching model differ, and what is the message

you
are trying to promote?

Lee Saxby: On the surface most approaches to ‘natural’ running technique
appear to espouse the same principles: “forefoot/ mid-foot
strike, good posture” etc. But there are
fundamental differences in definitions and methodology. My approach is based on evolutionary biology and ethology, and the premise of my coaching model is that running is a
skill and that the foundation of skill is proprioceptive feedback.

This essentially translates to learning to run
barefoot and mastering a ‘barefoot style’.

KP: You have a strong passion for evolutionary biology and
biomechanics.

How important
are these subjects when it comes to improving running skill?

Lee Saxby: Not very important for runners but incredibly important for running coaches! A solid grounding in these subjects stops coaches getting confused by the latest fitness trends and marketing propaganda!

KP: Is improving running skill simply a matter of running more, or are
there specific exercises that can be done alongside running?

Lee Saxby: Running
is the same as any other motor skill – “practice does not make perfect”, only
“perfect practice makes perfect”! Therefore, warming up with specific running
drills

and taking the
time to build running specific strength, flexibility and elasticity is
important

if you want to
improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

KP: So, onto the subject of footwear. There appears to be a lot of
choice and confusion when it comes to running shoes, from minimalist footwear
to those that offer high levels of

motion control.
What should we be looking for in a running shoe?

Lee Saxby: It’s
actually quite simple if you ignore all the marketing/ pseudoscience. The human
body is the product of 2 million years of endurance running. The foot and the
brain will provide all the shock absorption and motion control you need if you
allow them to communicate with each other. But shoes are useful if they provide
at least one of 3 things:

protect the
foot from puncture wounds, protect the foot from thermal damage, and provide extra traction.

Normally, it’s
a tradeoff between these 3 elements and sensory feedback, so if a shoe

doesn’t do any
of these 3 things it’s not worth wearing!

KP: Finally, you have often been referred to as the ‘world’s best running
coach’ – who

do you take
your inspiration from?

Lee Saxby: Actually, I think I was referred to as the ‘world’s best barefoot running coach’, which is a completely different accolade! There are probably hundreds of running coaches that are far superior to me in experience and skill (Alberto Salazar springs to mind!). I take my inspiration from Mother Nature and her laws - don’t mess with Mother Nature! If you’ve been inspired by Lee Saxby then take Premier’s Running Technique Instructor Training course to gain cutting-edge knowledge and skills in analysing and improving running technique.

This one-day workshop requires you to hold a minimum of a REPs accredited Level 2 Fitness Instructor qualification as well as working actively in the health and fitness, or sports conditioning/coaching industry with a range of clients.